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About this project

About Me: My name is Shelby Earl. I am a Seattle-based, independent musician with a deep commitment to simple, beautiful songs, sung from the heart. I previously fronted Seattle band, The Hope, which garnered a dedicated following and substantial major-label interest before disbanding in 2007. Since that time, I have been busy re-imagining my musical path and working on new material. In the fall of 2009, I took a HUGE leap and profoundly changed up my life in order to focus solely on music-making. It was then that I began work on my first full-length solo album.

About the Project: I am now about 6 months into recording 11 original songs, and it has been an amazing journey thus far. I have grown immensely as an artist and have never felt so nourished by the creative process. I've been thrilled and humbled by the number of supremely talented musicians, producers, and engineers who have rallied around me to help make the music not just good, but GREAT. To date, collaborators on the album include members of the Long Winters, the Maldives, SHIM, Telekinesis, former members of Fleet Foxes, and many other talented folks (see the video above to meet these beautiful people and to hear a rough mix of one of the songs...please forgive the somewhat garbled audio/video quality)! The most recent, game-changing turn of events has been the addition of the brilliant John Roderick (frontman for The Long Winters), coming on board as producer. The sounds we’re making together are spectacular, the album as a whole is exceeding my wildest hopes and expectations, and I'm happy to report that WE'RE ALMOST THERE!!!

Why Kickstarter: I started this project with a modest, but helpful, little nest egg, which enabled me to get things off the ground. But making a record is an all-consuming and expensive process! To date, I have invested upwards of $8,500 in studio time, musicians’ stipends and food, equipment & instrument rentals/purchases, and so on and so forth. It is a lot of money, but relative to the kind of budgets spent making commercially released studio albums, I am doing this on a shoestring! That said, I now find myself incredibly close to finishing, but with a severely depleted nest egg. I SO deeply believe in the quality of the collective work at this stage, that I am fully committed to giving it a proper completion and release. This is where YOU come in!

It Takes a Village: I've heard it said that it "takes a village to raise an artist," well I now know it also takes a village to make a record! So I come to you, my friends, family and fans, and ask you to summon your inner “Patron of the Arts,” to help me see this project through to fruition. The fabulous folks at Kickstarter have created this amazing and easy new platform, which allows artists and music-appreciators to work TOGETHER to make art happen. What a concept! YOU get to decide if you believe in a project enough to help in its CREATION. Think of yourselves as the Medici to my Michelangelo! This new portal for collaboration is especially important in a time where people have gotten SO used to consuming music for free that they have lost touch with what it cost the artist to produce and distribute (see below for more resources on this!).

What is needed: I am now about ¾ of the way through the entire recording process. What remains to be done are some final vocals, over-dubs (the “bells and whistles,” so to speak), mixing, mastering, artwork (design and printing) and CD duplication. If I am strategic, I believe I can get most of that done on the relatively modest budget of $5,000. Anything you are able to give will help in getting me closer to that goal, and closer to finally SHARING this music!

Help Spread the Word: As you’ll read on the Kickstarter site, a project budget is only delivered to the artist if the FULL amount is raised within the specified timeframe. The point is to make it a true COMMUNITY effort. So, in order to receive your own pledge rewards, you’ll have to help the project reach it's final goal! You can do so by sending this project page out to your email lists, and by posting it to your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and blog pages. I’m confident we can do this TOGETHER!

My Sincerest Thanks: As you'll see to the right, I’ve created some fun rewards in exchange for your various levels of support. But more importantly, I want to simply THANK YOU for believing in me and in this project enough to share your hard-earned dollars. It means more than you will ever know.

I have poured my heart into these songs and cannot WAIT to share them with you. Thank you in advance for your tremendous outpouring of love and support.

Sincerely,

Shelby

**Featured song written by Katie Freeze and Shelby Earl.**Photo by Steven Dewall.

Additional resources:

*Here is a very enlightening, informative exchange between a songwriter and a fan, on the topic of why Kickstarter is an important new portal for artists getting their music made: http://blogs.myspace.com/daynakurtz . (I couldn’t have put it better myself!)

Pledge $30 or more

Pledge $35 or more

PRE-RELEASE CD: Signed and numbered Shelby Earl Solo Album in your hot little hands before the release date! Plus a limited edition EARL button and a BIG HUG!

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Pledge $50 or more

13 backers

TRADING CARDS: Everything above, plus a pack of signed & numbered Shelby Earl Solo Album band member trading cards. Who will be on your cards?!!! Shelby herself? A Maldive? A SHIM? A Long Winter? Get more friends to pledge at this level and let the trading begin! ☺

You selected

Pledge $75 or more

12 backers

THE ULTIMATE SWAG BAG: Digital Download of The Hope - In The Deep, signed pre-release copy of the Shelby Earl Solo CD (+ exclusive track), the TRADING CARDS pack, an EARL button, AND a hip t-shirt featuring the official album art!

Pledge $125 or more

Pledge $200 or more

LINER NOTES: Get YOUR NAME not only on the web site Wall of Fame, but also in the “Thank you” section of the album liner notes (IN PRINT!), plus the Ultimate Swag Bag!

You selected

Pledge $350 or more

1 backer
Limited (9 left of 10)

SONG DEDICATION: You choose the song -- Shelby's or someone else's -- and she'll record an acoustic version of it, post it on YouTube, and send you an exclusive mp3! Plus the Ultimate Swag Bag!

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Pledge $500 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

CD RELEASE PARTY VIP STATUS: You and 3 guests will be treated to VIP treatment at the official CD Release show (including drink tickets!), as well as receiving copies of the album signed by Shelby and the band members, EARL buttons, t-shirts and trading cards to go around! (CD Release show will take place in Seattle, WA – date TBD).

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

0 backers
Limited (3 left of 3)

CD LISTENING PARTY WITH THE PLAYERS: You and a guest will be invited along for the CD listening party on Shelby’s dad’s boat! We will cruise the Puget Sound while you are treated to delicious food and drink, an exclusive listen of the full album, hang time with the artist, and copies of the record & other swag, signed by Shelby AND all the band members in attendance! (Party will take place in Seattle, WA – date TBD).

You selected

Pledge $1,200 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

HOUSE CONCERT: Shelby will come to your house, play a show for you and your friends, and dedicate a song to you in front of all of them! The event will be filmed and video clips will go up on YouTube. Just imagine it: “Shelby Earl Live from (YOUR name here)’s House!” Plus signed records and a custom combo of the rewards above! (US residents only. At a mutually agreed upon time.) ***Feel free to get friends to chip in with you on this one!

You selected

Pledge $2,000 or more

0 backers
Limited (2 left of 2)

GUEST APPEARANCE ON THE ALBUM: Ever dreamed of having YOUR name listed as one of the players on a professionally produced CD? Well we’ll find a shaker for you to shake, an “oooh” or “ahhh” for you to sing, or a trusty hand-clap part for you SOMEWHERE on the album. You will go down in history for your contributions and will be credited in the liner notes. You’ll also be photographed in the studio with the artist and will receive a custom combo of other fabulous rewards listed above!

You selected

Pledge $10,000

0 backers
Limited (1 left of 1)

RECORD EXEC: Let's face it, at this level you essentially own me. We'll figure out the details as we go.

Funding period

Jul 2, 2010 - Aug 6, 2010
(35 days)

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